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[01/23/12 - 11:04 PM]
Development Update: Monday, January 23
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from recent wire reports:

Looking to keep track of all the various projects in development? Click here to visit our signature "Devwatch" section. There visitors can view our listings by network, genre, studio and even development stage (ordered to pilot, cast-contingent, script, etc.). It's updated every day!


ALL TALK (HBO, New!) - Ben Stiller is set to star, direct and executive produce a new drama at the pay channel about "the daily and life-altering dramas of a Jewish family in Washington, D.C." Novelist Jonathan Safran Foer ("Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close") is writing the hour, which Scott Rudin and Eli Bush will executive produce alongside the duo. Alan Alda is in talks to co-star in the project, additional details of which weren't given. (Deadline.com)


ANIMAL KINGDOM (NBC) - Brian Gatewood and Alex Tanaka's comedy, about a veterinarian who loves animals but usually hates their owners, has been ordered to pilot by the Peacock. Universal Television is behind the single-camera project, which American Work's Scot Armstrong and Ravi Nandan will executive produce alongside the duo. (Deadline.com)


CHICAGO FIRE (A.K.A UNTITLED BRANDT & HAAS PROJECT) (NBC) - Michael Brandt and Derek Haas's drama, about the complex and heroic men and women of the Chicago Fire Department, has snagged a pilot order from the network. Universal Television-based Wolf Films is behind the hour, which Dick Wolf, Danielle Gelber and Peter Jankowski will executive produce alongside the duo. (Variety.com)


COUNTY (A.K.A. UNTITLED JASON RITTER PROJECT) (NBC) - The Jason Ritter-led and Jason Katims-penned drama, about "the lives of a group of young doctors, nurses, and administrators in a frenetic, underfunded and morally compromising L.A. County Hospital," has received a pilot commitment from the Peacock. Universal Television is behind the hour, which Katims penned as part of Ritter's talent holding deal with the network. (Variety.com)


DADDY'S GIRLS (NBC, New!) - Dana Klein ("Kath & Kim") has scored a pilot commitment from the Peacock for a new comedy about "a young woman who returns home from overseas to find her father is seriously dating the 'mean girl' from her high school." The multi-camera project is set up at 20th Century Fox Television with Kapital Entertainment's Aaron Kaplan executive producing alongside Klein. (Deadline.com)


DILFS (NBC) - The Charlie Grandy-penned comedy, about three 30-something guys who enjoy the adventures of parenting despite the fact they haven't grown up themselves, has been picked up to pilot. Universal Television is behind the multi-camera project, with Holiday Road's Amy Ozols and Jimmy Fallon also serving as executive producers. (Deadline.com)


DOWNWARDLY MOBILE (NBC) - The Roseanne Barr-led comedy, about "the proprietor of a mobile home park and surrogate mother to all of the unique people who live there in a challenging economy," has received the green light to produce a pilot. Barr co-created the multi-camera project alongside John Argent and Eric Gilliland for 20th Century Fox Television. (Deadline.com)


FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER (NBC) - Greg Daniels's import of the U.K. comedy has officially been ordered to pilot. The single-camera comedy, from Universal Television, tracks a quirky family that has dinner together every Friday night. David Koechner and Ken Kwapis are expected to star in and direct, respectively, the half-hour, which Howard Klein will executive produce alongside Daniels. (Deadline.com)


GO ON (NBC, New!) - Scott Silveri ("Perfect Couples") is back in business with the Peacock, snagging a pilot order for a new comedy about "an irreverent yet charming sportscaster who tries to move on from loss and reluctantly finds surprising solace from the members of his mandatory group therapy sessions." The single-camera project is set up at Universal Television. (Deadline.com)


GOLDEN BOY (A.K.A. UNTITLED BERLANTI & WOOTTON PROJECT) (CBS) - Nicholas Wootton's drama, which tracks one cop's meteoric rise from officer to detective to police commissioner, has been ordered to pilot by the network. Greg Berlanti is likewise executive producing the hour, which is set up at Warner Bros. Television. (Variety.com)


ISABEL (NBC) - Alex Désert ("Becker") has scored a role on the comedy pilot, about an otherwise normal middle-class family that wrestles with the challenges of everyday life while raising a daughter (Sophia Mitri Schloss) who has magical abilities. He'll presumably play Dr. David Zucco, Isabel's psychiatrist in the Universal Television-based half-hour, which also stars Kevin Nealon and Marcia Gay Harden as Isabel's parents and Abigail Mavity and Skyler Gisondo as her siblings. Todd Holland is directing from a script by Howard Busgang and Tom Nursall. (THR.com)


L.A. NOIR (TNT) - Jon Bernthal ("The Walking Dead") is in early talks to star in the period drama pilot, which chronicles the epic battle between Los Angeles Police Chief William Parker and mobster Mickey Cohen. He'd play Joe Teague, the Los Angeles cop at the center of the show. Said hour comes from former "Dead" executive producer Frank Darabont and is based on John Buntin's book of the same name. Elliot Webb and Michael De Luca also serve as executive producers. (Variety.com)


NEXT CALLER PLEASE (A.K.A. SATELLITES) (NBC) - Stephen Falk's single-camera comedy, about "a brash alpha male DJ and his new, plucky, feminist co-host set in the offices of a satellite radio station," has snagged a pilot commitment. Lionsgate Television is producing. (Deadline.com)


PAGING DR. FREED (USA) - Production on the comedy pilot, about two brothers who take over the reins of their father's medical practice after his untimely death, has been postponed over licensing issues between producer Fox 21 and the cable channel. It's understood the key sticking point has been subscription VOD rights (Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, etc.), further discussions of which have been tabled for the next month or so. Michael Feldman penned the half-hour and is executive producing alongside Brad Johnson and Katy McCaffrey. (Deadline.com)


UNTITLED HILARY WINSTON PROJECT (NBC, New!) - Hilary Winston ("Happy Endings") has booked a pilot order from the Peacock for a new comedy about "a shy, focused woman who, after being dumped by her fiance, leans on her co-workers to help her come out of her shell and plot her revenge." Sony Pictures Television-based FanFare is behind the single-camera project, which Jamie Tarses and Julia Franz will executive produce alongside Winston. (Deadline.com)


THE VIAGRA DIARIES (HBO) - Paul Feig ("Bridesmades") has signed on to direct the Goldie Hawn-led comedy pilot, about a woman who, after her husband has a "mid-life crisis" at 65 and leaves her, struggles with being single for the first time in 35 years. Darren Star is behind the half-hour, which is based on Barbara Rose Brooker's book of the same name. Feig will also executive produce alongside Star, Hawn; Kapital Entertainment's Aaron Kaplan; Alan and Wendy Riche and their son Peter; Hawn's managers Brian Medavoy and Alan Nevins; plus David Knolloer. (Deadline.com)


AND IN OTHER NEWS... - Kristin Chenoweth will drop by "Hot in Cleveland" as "a friend of the girls from L.A. who comes to stay with them after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, a Beverly Hills dermatologist to the stars" (TVGuide.com); Shonda Rhimes revealed on her Twitter account that Summer Glau will guest on "Grey's Anatomy" (Twitter.com); Giles Matthey will recur on "True Blood" as a mysterious young man who captures the attention and curiosity of Deborah Ann Woll's Jessica (EOnline.com); Eve Best is bound for "Up All Night" as a corporate mogul who takes ownership of "The Ava Show" and just happens to be Reagan's (Christina Applegate) idol (TVGuide.com); George Stults, the real life sibling of star Geoff, is set to guest on "The Finder" as Walt's brother (TVLine.com); and "Eureka" co-executive producer Matt Hastings will join fellow alum Bruce Miller on "Alphas" for the show's second season (THR.com).






  [january 2012]  
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· ALL TALK (HBO)
· ALPHAS (SYFY)
· ANIMAL PRACTICE (NBC)
· BECKER (CBS)
· CHICAGO FIRE (NBC)
· COUNTY (NBC)
· DEVELOPMENT UPDATE (TFC)
· DOWNWARDLY MOBILE (NBC)
· EUREKA (SYFY)
· FINDER, THE (FOX)
· FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER (NBC)
· FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER (BBC AMERICA)
· GO ON (NBC)
· GOLDEN BOY (CBS)
· GREY'S ANATOMY (ABC)
· GUYS WITH KIDS (NBC)
· HAPPY ENDINGS (ABC)
· HAPPY VALLEY (NBC)
· HOT IN CLEVELAND (TV LAND)
· ISABEL (NBC)
· KATH & KIM (NBC)
· MOB CITY (TNT)
· NEXT CALLER (NBC)
· PAGING DR. FREED (USA)
· PERFECT COUPLES (NBC)
· TABLE FOR THREE (NBC)
· TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
· UP ALL NIGHT (NBC)
· VIAGRA DIARIES (CW)
· WALKING DEAD, THE (AMC)





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